In Gela, Orto Fontanelle reveals a sanctuary and the ergasterion: guided tour for the cultural heritage day in memory of Sebastiano Tusa

The Day of Sicilian Cultural Heritage dedicated to the memory of Sebastiano Tusa taking place next Tuesday includes a special initiative in the city. It has been organized by the Municipality and the Superintendency of Caltanissetta. A guided outdoor tour has been arranged at the archaeological site located within the area of Orto Fontanelle.

The initiative represents an important opportunity for citizens and history enthusiasts to closely explore one of the archaeological sites of particular interest in the Gela territory and to deepen the historical and cultural value of the existing testimonies.

The guided tour will take place on Tuesday, March 10, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and will be conducted by Gianluca Calà, the archaeologist who is conducting the excavation in the area of the Municipality of the Palazzo della Cultura. Visitors will be able to follow the explanations about the archaeological site from via Scontrino, which will be closed to vehicular traffic.

Un'isola che continua a sorprendere, riemergono ambienti arcaici con sorprendenti reperti. Ecco dove si trova e la storia degli ultimi ritrovamenti

Strati del VI-V secolo a.C.: un quartiere artigiano, un sacello con statue di una divinità di origine egizia e una rara conchiglia

The Orto Fontanelle site is an exceptional archaeological site that reveals surprises day after day. A few months ago, the first classical age environments emerged, a small neighborhood of ancient Greek Gela. The ergasterion, the workshop where artisans carried out their work, was uncovered. Many artifacts were recovered: Greek coins, pottery, figurines of deities, small jars, and a rare ceramic stylist finely decorated, dating back to the 5th century BC. It is made of bone, not metal or wood, making it even rarer. It features a male head on top, probably Dionysus, and in the center, an erect phallus. It is intact and measures about 13.2 cm, an unusual fact for such small and fragile objects. In recent weeks, more archaic environments have emerged beneath the collapse of the classical ones at Orto Fontanelle. As the excavation progresses, the hypothesis that a sanctuary is emerging becomes increasingly concrete. This is understood from the layout of the rooms surrounded by a well-finished and well-preserved wall, the positioning of the rooms, and the type of numerous archaeological materials that have emerged, all compatible with a place of worship. The latest find is a weight featuring a soldier with a spear on top, which may have been made from the soldier's ring itself.

In recent days, a figurine of the god Bes, protector of childbirth, and a large gastropod of the type tonna lanea, whose shell was used as a trumpet to call the faithful, have been discovered. Many bronze objects from plates to spears have been found, and there is an abundance of ceramics. Thus, a Greek sanctuary in an area that in ancient times hosted sanctuaries in the adjacent area of Predio Sola. The Municipality and Superintendency are in discussions to return these exceptional artifacts (and many others discovered through preventive archaeology) to public use by creating display cases within the Palazzo della Cultura. The sanctuary and ergasterion protected by roofs will remain visible, and Gela will be able to offer visitors another archaeological gem.